1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit and an information processing apparatus and more specifically relates to a reader-writer apparatus capable of performing data communication with a noncontact integrated circuit (IC) card without any contact and a semiconductor integrated circuit included in the reader-writer apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Noncontact IC card systems using noncontact IC cards have been commonly used recently in automatic ticket gates at train stations, security systems and electronic money systems.
In such a noncontact IC card system, for example, if a user holds a noncontact IC card against a reader-writer apparatus, data communication begins between the noncontact IC card and the reader-writer apparatus.
More specifically, in such a case, the reader-writer apparatus emits electromagnetic waves to the noncontact IC card via an antenna unit. The noncontact IC card rectifies the voltage induced in the antenna unit in the noncontact IC card in response to the electromagnetic waves and uses this as a driving power to operate without a battery.
Such a reader-writer apparatus includes an antenna unit configured to perform data communication with a noncontact IC card and a semiconductor integrated circuit connected with the antenna unit. The semiconductor integrated circuit executes programs of various processing for performing data communication with a noncontact IC card accordingly. The programs are stored in an internal memory included in the semiconductor integrated circuit. The internal memory in the semiconductor integrated circuit also stores other various programs and data items (refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-25003 illustrated in FIG. 2).